Caring
by Angelv98
Summary: When you have no experience whatsoever in comforting someone, what do you do when you're thrust into a situation where comfort is needed?
1. Comfort

**For those of you who don't know, this is the first story I ever posted on FF. I went back and revised it a bit, sonce my writing has improved since then. So let me know what you think! Reviews are always appreciated. :)**

**Caring**

_Comfort_

When he had left the hotel that morning all he wanted to do was find Naruto and spar. The last thing on his mind was running into Naruto's pink haired teammate, and having her cling to him and begin to cry.

In all honesty, he didn't know what to do in situations like these. All he could think to do at the moment was to ask her out of politeness what was wrong.

"Nothing" she sniffled, "It's just that I had another blind date that Ino set me up with last night and it didn't go very well. I mean, I thought it went okay. We had a lot in common and conversation was never lacking. But just a few moments ago he came up to me and said that I wasn't his type. Apparently he can't be with someone more successful than him, and the fact that I could crush his skull with one hand freaked him out." Puffy red emerald looked into cool jade. "What if I never find anyone else that I can be with? What if I never get the chance to get over Sasuke?" At this she started to bawl even harder into his shirt.

He knew that people normally said encouraging and comforting words in situations like these, but being a man of few words, Gaara decided to try to comfort her physically. The only problem now was how? Once, when Temari was watching one of her many Soap Operas, he had seen the male lead embrace and kiss the female lead to comfort her. But that was a bit too much physical contact for his comfort, and since he didn't know the pink haired kunoichi very well in the first place, the whole act would be awkward, and she would probably mistake his intentions.

Then the answer came to him. When he was walking home from work in Suna one day, he happened upon a child and her mother. The little girl, for unknown reasons, was crying. Then her mother reached out a patted her on the back while saying "It's alright." This is what he would do in order to make the pink haired woman stop crying and get off him so that he could go train with Naruto.

So he slowly reached out his hand and slapped her on the back a few times. He was sure that he had done it correctly, because each time he hit her you could hear the sound of his hand coming in contact with her back. After three pats he stopped. Three seemed like a good enough number of pats to him. Suddenly, he was looking down into a sea of angry emerald, causing his satisfied look to vanish.

"What was that for?" she yelled.

Now he was confused. The answer was obvious, and he thought that she was smart enough to be able to figure it out on her own. Maybe he had given her too much credit.

"I was comforting you." he said.

"What?" she asked confusedly.

If he was one to roll his eyes he would have. This girl was making him speak unnecessary words. "It is customary for someone to give another person in distress a form of comfort yes? I was merely patting you on the back to make you feel better." he explained.

Then she started laughing. Hysterically. She was laughing so hard that her body was shaking his with her merriment. Now he was annoyed. Was the thought of him trying to comfort a friend's friend so hard to believe?

"What?" he asked, glaring at her lightly.

This time when she sniffled, it was not because of the tears. It was to hold in the rest of her laughter. "Awww Gaara I didn't think that you cared about me!" she said.

Wait, what? She thought he cared for her? Impossible. But before he could say anything on the matter, she was hugging him. Yet again, he was at a loss about what to do in this kind of situation.

"Thanks for making me feel better Gaara. I really appreciate it." and with that she gave him a peck on the cheek, and skipped away.

Damn, girls were confusing. He wouldn't tell Naruto about this, because he had a feeling that if he did, he would never hear the end of it.

* * *

She couldn't believe that Gaara of all people had tried to comfort her. She had originally been looking for Naruto, as he was the best person to talk to when she was feeling down about herself. But when she had bumped into Gaara and seen the look of contempt that he gave her, she just couldn't hold it in any longer. She was rather embarrassed that Gaara had seen her in one of her weaker moments, for she liked people to think that she was stronger than she used to be.

But when he had asked her what was wrong she detected a note of concern and sincerity in his voice. So she let go of her pride and told him. She didn't expect him to understand, or try to make her feel better, so she was surprised when he had hit her on the back hard enough for it to hurt a little.

At first she had thought that he was just being mean, hurting her in her time of weakness. Kicking the enemy while they down so to speak. But when he had explained his reasoning to her she found the whole situation to be funny. Gaara of the Sand was trying to comfort someone, and doing a horrible job at it. She had seen the look of annoyance and anger he gave her when she had started laughing at him. But, much like the tears, she couldn't hold it in, and once she got going, she couldn't stop.

She knew the whole situation was awkward for him, and so she decided to be nice and thank him. For his one simple action had made her forget her troubles, and smile. So, as she skipped home, she decided that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to find Gaara when she was feeling down. After all, it would be fun to see what other forms of comfort he could come up with, and if he cared enough about her, though he would never admit it, to try. Yes, life was now going to be very interesting for the red headed Kazekage of Suna. She would make sure of that.


	2. Stress Relief

**Caring**

_Stress Relief_

She was angry, that much was certain. He could sense the anger radiating off of her in waves. Perhaps Naruto, the baka, had done something to upset her again. Or maybe another blind date didn't go very well. He really didn't know. He didn't want to know. But what he did know was that she didn't look very pretty with a frown etched into her smooth forehead. Wait, did he just think she was pretty? Hmmm, maybe training with Naruto every day during his visits was affecting his mental capacities.

Why did he care? Well, not care really, because then he would be proving her right. But the thought of someone or something upsetting her really irked him.

"Sakura." He said, getting her attention.

She looked up at him, pausing in her current task of glaring daggers at the wall of the Hokage Tower. "Huh?" she asked.

"If you keep frowning like that it will stick to your face forever." The redhead told her.

The frown became more prominent on her features at his words, and she was now glaring at him. "Shut up Gaara, you're the last person to tell me that."

"Hn."

This wasn't working. She was supposed to tell him what was wrong like before, just without the tears and the blubbering and the dampening of his training clothes. Maybe he actually needed to ask her what was wrong in this scenario? He figured that if he teased her a bit she would just tell him in order to explain her mood. That's what most people did when he had observed them in situations similar to this one.

"Why are you frowning?" he asked eventually, tired of waiting for her to tell him.

She waved it off. "Oh it's no big deal really, just work related stuff." At that he gave her what could be considered a look of confusion mixed with curiosity. She sighed. "There were a few code violations today made by some of the nurses. Some of the more experienced ones. Naturally they happened right before my 12 hour shift was over and naturally, I had to deal with them. And once I was done with that I had to suspend a few of them. Then I had to go and lecture all the interns to make sure that they did not make any similar errors. And now I have a huge pile of paperwork to do tomorrow and turn in to Tsunade-shishou about everything that happened. It's just been a very trying day."

Well, he certainly couldn't pat her on the back in order to fix this problem. In fact, he had already involved himself too deep in her problems. This had to have been one of the longest conversations he'd ever had with her since they met at the Chuunin Exams all those years ago. But since he got in this far he may as well fix it. Besides, he didn't have to meet Naruto to train for another couple of hours.

But what to do in this situation? It was obvious that she was stressed. She probably had some pent up anger too. Best to find an outlet for her before she takes after her sensei and explodes on someone. What do normal people do when they are angry? She is a kunoichi, so she knew how to fight. Then the answer came to him. He would reliever her stress the same way that he did. With that thought in mind he grabbed her, causing her to make an 'Eep!', and transported them away.

* * *

When she opened her eyes she saw that they were at one of the training fields furthest from the village. It was after this realization hit that she noticed she was clinging to Gaara's shirt, and swiftly backed away.

"What are we doing here?" she demanded, gesturing to the vast area.

Gaara just crossed his arms. "Fight me."

"What? Are you serious? I'm sure Naruto is free for a spar if that is what you want but-"

"No. I want to fight you." He said interrupting her. What was so hard to understand about that? She couldn't possibly be afraid of him, could she?

She gave him a considering look. "Why?" she asked.

"It will make you feel better." He stated.

"I highly doubt that you know what it is that makes me feel-" She had to duck suddenly because he had swung a sand arm in her direction. It was then that she saw the sand pouring out of his gourd.

"What the hell was that for? I didn't agree to a spar!" she yelled at him angrily.

"Hn. If you don't fight back you will get hurt." That said, he attacked her again, and she had no choice but to dodge. Gaara was seriously pissing her off. She was in no mood to play games with anybody. All she wanted to do was go home and take a relaxing bath. That usually helped to clear away some of her stress.

But at the moment she needed to focus on Gaara. If he was serious about sparring her, then she needed to have a plan. He was mostly a long distance fighter, which didn't mesh very well with her close ranged attacks. But she had a few surprises up her sleeves.

Although he had to admit that she was excellent at dodging his attacks, if she didn't fight back soon he was not going to be held responsible for anything that happened to her. After all, he was just trying to help. Hopefully she would answer his challenge, because he wanted to see what she could do. He had heard that she inherited her master's super strength and healing abilities. Having never seen her master in action, he was curious as to how strong Sakura really was.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped to attention as Sakura's fist connected with the ground. He felt the ground rumble, followed by huge chunks of earth shooting up and flying every which way. He jumped into the air to avoid the flying debris when he heard Sakura yell "Sakura Blizzard!" and threw a swarm of kunai at him.

Well this was pathetic. If she was only capable of such low level moves as these, the fight wasn't going to last very long. He was even being kind enough to go easy on her. Such were his thoughts as he dodged the kunai. It wasn't until most of them passed him that he realized they all had explosive tags connected to them. He barely had time to form a sand shield before they exploded.

When the dust finally settled, Sakura was gone. He looked around for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. If she was hiding, she wasn't making it very obvious. Coward, he thought. Suddenly she was behind him, aiming a kick at his face.

She couldn't believe that the bastard had used a frickin' sand clone to avoid her attack. Damn, and she had it all planned out too. Before she could look for where Gaara had disappeared to, a sand arm came out of nowhere and connected with her midsection, smacking her across the field, and into a tree. She recovered quickly though, and dug her hand into the trunk of the tree she had just hit. With a yell she ripped the tree out of the ground, roots and all, and swung it in the redhead's direction. She missed of course, but the look of pure shock in his eyes was too much. She dropped the tree and began laughing.

When she had ripped the huge tree out of the ground and swung it at him effortlessly, Gaara was more than surprised. He was shocked. He quickly dodged it and was about to retaliate when he saw that she had let go of the tree and was laughing. What was with this girl and laughing at all the wrong times?

"Hahaha! You should have seen your face! It was so funny!" she said, hugging her stomach in an attempt to quell her laughter.

Gaara just crossed his arms and glared at her. "Hn. I did not make a face."

"Ok sure whatever." She snickered "But I bet no one has ever swung a tree at you before."

"No." he admitted.

She sighed and began to walk towards him. He stiffened, not sure if she was going to hug him again or not. Outside of battles, he really wasn't used to or comfortable with any form of physical contact. Instead she held out her hand.

"That was a good spar. Thank you." She said, the corner of her mouth tilted up in a half smile.

"Hn. You're welcome." he said as he shook her hand.

Now he was confused. She was treating him differently this time. And he wasn't sure why she was ending the sparring session now. He still had plenty of chakra left, and he knew that she had to have more than what she had expended during the spar, because healings required a lot of chakra. As if she had read his mind she smiled and said, "I know you and Naruto usually train around this time, and I don't want you to go to the fight lacking. The last thing Naruto needs is an ego boost."

"True, I should probably head over there right now." He said.

"Bye Gaara! Punch Naruto hello for me!" and with that she skipped away.

He shook his head in astonishment. He would never understand girls. Never. But at least he had made her smile. She looked much better with a smile on her face than a frown. Not that he noticed how she looked. All he did was what Naruto would have done, right? Right. Nothing to be worried over. And with that he started the walk to the training ground that he and Naruto sparred in every day.

* * *

As soon as she got home she started the bubble bath that she had wanted in the first place. She couldn't help but notice that for some reason she felt really relaxed, and she had just gotten in. It was as if all her stress from the day had left to be replaced with contentment.

'I guess that spar with Gaara really did help to make me feel better.' With that thought she smiled. How was it that he always seemed to know how to make her feel better, when she didn't even know herself? Not having the energy to deal with such thoughts, she settled deeper into the soap bubbles, and fell asleep. Her last thought was of how strange it was that Gaara had his longest conversations with her when she was upset. This must be fixed.


	3. Relaxation

**Caring**

_Relaxation_

Although he loved his village, sometimes being the Kazekage sucked. The mountains of paperwork he could deal with, and it was never a challenge to tell people what to do, but the nagging of the elders got tiresome after a while. Today was one of those days.

The Chuunin Exams were coming up and they were in a tizzy about making a good impression on the other villages. Ever since they were tricked by Orochimaru, the Chuunin Exams always brought the elders a feeling of shame, and they didn't want the other villages to remember Suna as the village who was tricked by a missing nin.

He could understand their worry, but nagging him about anything and everything under the sun was ridiculous. At least Naruto and his team would arrive today. They were coming as emissaries from the Leaf to discuss the plans for the exam. While they were here, Sakura was going to examine their hospital and medical program, and give them tips on how to improve both.

"Oi! Gaara! Guess who's here?" Now who could he possibly know that yelled all the time? Oh right. Naruto. Suddenly the doors to his office burst open and in ran Naruto, followed by Kakashi, some emo looking kid named Sai, and lastly, Sakura.

"Hello. Thank you for coming." He greeted, standing from his chair.

Naruto just waved the greeting off with a huge smile. "Gaara there's no need to be so formal. We've been friends for years."

"Naruto shut up and show some respect!" the pink haired woman yelled as she hit him on the head. Then she bowed to him and said,

"Lord Kazekage."

"Gaara." He figured that after all they had been through together, the crying thing and their spar, on top of everything else, she could call him by his name.

She straightened at his words. "Huh?" she asked, a confused look adorning her features.

"Call me Gaara." He repeated.

"Oh, ok." She said, scratching the back of her head in slight embarrassment. In truth, nobody else really knew about what had transpired between her and the stoic redhead the last couple of times he had visited. And she didn't know if he wanted others to know about it, so she had decided to treat him the same as she would had it never happened.

Soon after that encounter he showed them to where they would be staying. Out of propriety, Sakura would get her own room. "Gaara?" she asked as he was about to leave. He turned around and stared at her. "Um, I brought you something." with that she ran into her room to grab whatever it was that she had brought him.

Out of past experience, he stiffened. Oh no. She wasn't going to become a crazed fan girl now was she? The last thing he needed was another admirer, and in another village at that. When she came out of her room she held an old teddy bear in her hands. Seeing the worn thing, he raised what could be seen as an eyebrow. If this was what she had for him, she was weirder than he thought.

"It's to help you sleep at night." she explained.

Now that he understood the reason for the bear, he wanted it. It reminded him of his old one. The one that brought him some semblance of comfort as a child. "I do not require a teddy bear in order to sleep." He lied. 'Oh yes I do.' Were his treacherous thoughts.

She held the bear out towards him. "It will help relax you."

"No it won't." he persisted. 'Oh yes it will.'

"Well will you just try it out for one night? I want to see if it will work or not. Your doctors told me that they have tried everything, so I'm going to try this." That said she shoved the bear into his arms. It smelled faintly of mangoes and some indescribable smell that was purely her. This must have been her bear growing up.

His gaze hardened. Despite the fact that he had gotten what he wanted, he hated it when people told him what to do. "Fine. I will try it for one night. If it doesn't work I want you to take the bear back."

"Fine." Then she shut her bedroom door in his face.

And she was the one talking about showing respect earlier. How ironic, he thought with a smirk. He left in a swirl of sand to his house. When he went to sleep that night, it was one of the best nights of his life.

* * *

"How did you sleep last night Gaara?" Sakura asked politely.

He nodded. "Very well thank you. It appears that your method worked."

She smiled in satisfaction and said, "I knew it would."

That night though, when he went to go to bed, the bear was gone. When he had left that morning the bear was sitting in the middle of his bed. Now it was nowhere to be seen. He went over to the spot to see if there was any sign of the one who took it. Faintly, he could smell ramen. _Naruto_. He would kill the blonde for taking his bear, best friend or not. This was a crime that no one would get away with. With that thought, he vanished in a swirl of sand only to appear at the hotel the Konoha nin were staying at.

When he went upstairs to confront Naruto, he was gone. Kakashi said that he was out with Kankuro. That wasn't good. They would probably be out all night, and he didn't want to confront the blond in public, where his reputation as a tough, unapproachable person was at stake. So he opted for the next best thing and knocked on Sakura's door. When the door opened, Sakura looked like she was about to go to bed. For some reason, she was wearing shorts and a tank top. Not very practical clothes to keep away the cold of the desert night.

When she opened the door to her room, the last person she expected to see was Gaara. She wasn't even dressed properly. She had been about to go to bed, and had just put on her pajamas. She blushed, thinking about how exposed she was.

"Gaara? What are you doing here so late?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Naruto stole my teddy bear." Was all he said.

She didn't understand why he was telling her this. The bear was his now, so therefore, it was his problem. "So go find him and get it."

"I do not wish to cause a ruckus so late at night."

"So why are you here?" she crossed her arms and raised a delicate brow at him.

"Let me sleep with you." He demanded.

Her eyes widened and a look of pure shock entered her features, her arms falling loosely at her sides. "What?" She turned a light shade of pink. Did he not know how improper that sounded? And it didn't even make sense as to why he was asking this of her.

Gaara held in a sigh. Why did he always have to repeat himself around this woman? "Let me sleep with you."

"Why?" she asked, recovering from her initial shock.

"Since I don't have the bear in my possession, I am settling for the next best thing." He said with a nod.

"Excuse me?" She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Now she was angry. Was he saying that her old ratty bear was of more use to him than she was?

"You gave me the bear, which I assume was an old one of yours. Therefore, it smells like you. Since I don't have the bear, let me sleep with you." He explained. It made perfect sense to him.

Now that she understood his thought process somewhat she wasn't as confused as she was before. But it didn't really make sense. Didn't he hate physical contact?

He didn't understand why she couldn't grasp his logic. He even had to explain it to her, and she still looked confused. It is strange that he always says more words to her in one conversation than he does throughout the whole day. And why was she blushing? His request should not have embarrassed her in the least. It did not embarrass him.

She sighed and opened up the door wider so that he could come in. "Fine. But if you so much as think something inappropriate I will castrate you." She threatened.

Why would he think anything inappropriate? He didn't think of her that way. But he had to admit, she was kinda cute when she was threatening people. Even if it was him. "I wouldn't even dream of it." She huffed, seeming upset. Why could she possibly be upset? He didn't say anything rude. Once again she managed to confuse him.

She got in the bed and scooted as far to the right as she could. This had to be one of the most awkward situations she had ever been in. She felt the mattress dip, telling her that Gaara had gotten in too. Suddenly, an arm snaked across her stomach and she was pulled into a solid, warm chest. A bare, warm chest. She stiffened. At the realization that Gaara wasn't wearing a shirt, she turned beet red.

"Sakura relax. I already promised you that I wouldn't do anything." He assured her, placing his head on the pillow.

"But why do we have to be so close?" she asked softly, her face burning.

He held in a sigh. All he wanted to do in that moment was sleep, but if she didn't calm down soon he was going to get angry. "I am merely holding you as I would the teddy bear."

"Oh." She murmured, slightly disappointed. Now it all made sense. Sort of anyways. Eventually she did relax, because Gaara was just so warm, and the night before she had been freezing, forgetting that desert nights were cold. Soon she was fast asleep.

He waited until she was asleep so relax a little. He buried his head in her hair and took a deep breath. Yup, she smelled exactly like his bear, except even stronger. Soon after that thought he went into a deep meditation, semi-asleep and semi-awake.

When she woke up the next day she was incredibly warm, and incredibly comfortable. Not wanting to get up so soon, she buried her face deeper into the warmth that was enveloping her. Strange, she didn't remember her bed smelling like the sun and the wind, but she liked it.

_Gaara_.

Her eyes snapped open only to reveal that it was Gaara's chest she had buried into. His bare chest. At this thought she blushed. Upon further inspection she realized that their legs were intertwined, and he had both of his arms around her, as if he wanted to keep her close and was afraid that she would leave. She looked up into his face. It was so peaceful in sleep, so unguarded. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he looked directly at her. She blushed.

"Um….good morning." He continued to stare at her, causing her blush to deepen and for her to become even more nervous than she already was. "Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Yes, thank you." He said.

For some reason or another, neither got up. They both had duties to attend to, his to the village, and hers to the hospital, but they were both perfectly content right where they were. After lying in each other's arms for about five minutes, there was a loud banging at the door. With a groan, Sakura untangled herself from Gaara and got up to answer it. And of course, the one at her door was Naruto.

"Hey Sakura-chan! You're never gonna guess what I did last night!" He said with a sneaky grin.

"I don't think I wanna know what you did last night Naruto." She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Oh yes you do! I went over to Gaara's house because I figured that he would have gone home by then. I guess I didn't know he was a workaholic like you, because he wasn't there. But sitting in the middle of his bed was a teddy bear. A teddy bear! Can you believe it? The Almighty Gaara of the Sand sleeps with a teddy bear!" he squealed in glee.

"Naruto, I gave that bear to him as a test to see if it would help him sleep at night." She said, giving the blonde a serious look.

He just shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't matter anyways because I stole it! This has got to be one of the best jokes I have ever played!"

Before she could say anything Gaara's arm had wrapped itself around her waist and he was standing right behind her in the doorway. Knowing what Naruto would think, she blushed.

Ignoring the woman in his arms, Gaara glared at his friend. The baka had managed to upset him even more. First, he had to just knock on the door and ruin his morning, and now he was shouting to the rest of the hotel residents that he slept with a teddy bear. Naruto was so going to die.

But first, he needed to get his bear back. So he quietly got out of the bed and made his way towards Sakura and the door. When he reached his destination, he snaked his arm around her waist, just for fun. Sakura had turned a light shade of pink, and Naruto looked as if his eyes were about to pop out of his head.

"Naruto the next time you decide to play a joke on me, you should think about the consequences." He said with a slight smirk, his grip on Sakura tightening a bit.

"W-w-what are you doing in Sakura-chan's room?" the kyuubi host stuttered, pointing accusingly at the both of them.

"Naruto, what is it that people do in a bedroom?" He knew that this phrase could be taken the wrong way, but he didn't care. This would be his revenge. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Sakura was an even darker shade of pink than before. Interesting. Now he would not only get his revenge on Naruto, but he would see how dark she could get. This was going to be fun.

"How dare you violate my Sakura-chan! I'll kill you!" Naruto yelled, fury beginning to crawl over his face.

"I didn't do anything that she didn't agree to Naruto. And there's no way that you'd be able to even try to kill me without causing a war between our villages. Think about it." He said seriously, giving the blonde man a meaningful look.

He stopped his advance on Gaara when he heard those words. "That she didn't agree to?" He gave Sakura a look of confusion, who was now a shade of crimson. "Sakura, you let him sleep with you?"

"Well yes Naruto, but you don't-"

"Now if you don't mind, we were perfectly happy in bed. Good day to you sir." The redhead interrupted, shutting the door in Naruto's stunned face. Then his sand shield was activated, and he looked down to see an angry Sakura attempting to punch him in the jaw.

When she realized that she would be unable to hurt him because of his stupid shield, she opted for yelling. "You jerk! I can't believe you deliberately made Naruto believe that we slept together!" she yelled.

"But we did. It is not my fault that he took it the wrong way. All I did was tell him the truth." Gaara reasoned. Sakura pulled out of his hold and threw her arms in the air.

"Oh you are just horrible. Did you not think what repercussions this action would have on me? Now he's gonna go tell Kakashi-sensei and Sai, and they will never look at me the same again!"

"I'm sure once you explain to them what really happened they will understand. Maybe not Naruto, but I had to get some form of revenge on him. This was the best option." He said, not understanding why this was such a big deal to her. Anyone else would be thrilled to have a rumor started about them being able to spend the night with the Kazekage. It was many a girl's fantasy.

"Best option my ass! If Naruto doesn't kill you I will! Village wars be damned!" with that she launched herself at him. He grabbed her wrists, and abruptly pulled her to him, so that their faces were just inches apart. Sakura's breath hitched, as she could feel his own mingle with hers. Was he going to kiss her? Suddenly she was excited and nervous at the same time. Instead, he said, "I will fix this matter, don't worry." and with that he was gone.

She took a shaky breath and sighed. Gaara was not very good for her nerves. Although she would admit that she had slept like a rock last night, the effects of such a slumber were not healthy. Because part of her had wanted more than anything for him to kiss her, and part of her had wanted to run away. With that thought, she decided to get ready for the day.

* * *

He had decided to call Naruto into his office, before he could do any damage. The blonde came bursting through the door, his anger rolling off of him in waves. "You bastard! I don't care if we are friends or if I risked my life to save you! You will die!" he yelled.

Gaara held his hands up to show that he wasn't going to fight the angry man. "Naruto calm down. Sakura and I only slept, we didn't do anything else."

"Why should I believe you? You could just be covering it all up." He asked, crossing his arms. Gaara could tell that Naruto was still upset, but it seemed to die down a little with this new knowledge.

The redhead crossed his arms as well and decided to use Sakura's earlier words to him. "Think about the repercussions such an act would have on Sakura. Nobody would ever look at her the same. Besides, you stole my bear, which Sakura gave to me. So I went to her for some help." He explained.

"So…you two didn't….uh….you know….." he said as he poked his fingers together in a Hinata-like fashion.

"No, but you better not take my bear again. Or I _will_ come all the way to Konoha in order to be with Sakura, if that is the only way that I can relax enough to sleep." Gaara threatened.

"No no! I will never take your bear again! You can bet on that!" the blonde said.

"Glad that we understand each other."

Team Kakashi left that afternoon to return to Konoha. Sakura had blushed when they said goodbye, for what reason, he didn't know.

That night, when he went to sleep with his bear he was disappointed. Yes, the bear smelled like her, but it wasn't her. She was softer and warmer than the bear was. She talked to him, when the bear couldn't. When she had greeted him that morning, he didn't know what to say. He had felt something twist inside that he couldn't describe. Happiness? Contentment? He didn't know. But what he did know was that he wanted to feel it again, and the only way to do that, was to see Sakura once more.


	4. Peace

**Caring**

_Peace_

He hadn't been sleeping very well lately. Sure, the bear that Sakura had given him was helping, but it wasn't working as effectively as it used to. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something different about the bear lately. It was still lumpy, still old, but something was off.

This plagued his mind throughout the whole day. He didn't really get any work done either, because the matter about the bear was more important than some genin squad that couldn't learn to work as a team. At least to him it was.

Now that he had experienced sleep, he realized that he liked it. A lot. And when he found something that he liked, he was loath to give it up. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running footsteps coming down the hall and towards his office.

"Hey Gaara! I have a message for you!" His older sister, Temari, burst through the door. She held up a scroll. "It's from Konoha." Then she put it on his desk and waited for him to give her orders.

He picked up the scroll, opened it, and began scanning its contents quickly. Well this was interesting. Apparently it was decided that Konoha was going to be hosting the Chuunin exams again, and they wanted Suna to help with one of the tests. This would not only strengthen the alliance between the two villages, but it would also show the rest of the ninja world that Suna had Konoha's support, and vice versa.

"Get a small team together. Konoha has invited us to help design one of the tests for the Chuunin exams this year, and we will need to discuss our plans with the Hokage." He said, placing the scroll on his desk.

Temari smiled. "Can I go with the team? I haven't seen Sakura in forever."

"You just saw her two weeks ago." He deadpanned.

"Yeah, but the mango body mist that she gave me is almost out, and you can only get it in Konoha." The blonde woman whined.

The answer to his teddy bear dilemma suddenly clicked. The reason he couldn't sleep at night was because the bear didn't smell like Sakura anymore. The longer he slept with it, the more it smelled like him and less like her. So the only way to fix this would be to take the bear to Konoha, and have Sakura sleep with it while it was there. But he couldn't entrust anyone to do this for him, because then his secret would be out, and his image of the ever tough and unapproachable Kazekage of Suna would be forever tarnished. The only option left would be to go in person to deliver the bear.

"Nevermind then. You and I will travel to Konoha tomorrow morning. Kankuro and Ibiki can watch things while we are gone." He said, pulling out a sheet of paper to send a reponse to the Hokage.

Temari jumped in excitement. "Yay! I can spend quality time with my baby brother!"

"Call me that again and I will kill you." He threatened, writing his response.

She waved her hand in dismissal. "Fine fine you big _baby_. I'll go inform everyone about our plans." And with that she left.

He couldn't wait until they reached Konoha. Sakura would take possession of the bear during the day, and then at night it would smell like her and he would be able to sleep once again. He smirked. The plan was perfect. He left his office in a whirl of sand, off to his house to prepare for the journey.

* * *

The entire building of Hokage Tower was in an uproar. Apparently Gaara was arriving today to go over some plans for the upcoming Chuunin Exams. Sakura didn't understand what all the fuss was about. They were the ones that invited him in the first place, they should have had everything ready by now. Oh well. Her shishou was probably drunk when she got the idea and didn't remember it the next day. She smiled at that thought. No matter what her faults were, she loved her teacher dearly.

At least she wouldn't have to see Gaara while he was here. She still felt embarrassed about what happened the last time she saw him. Naruto never said anything about it, but he still gave her weird looks every once in a while.

She spent her day at the hospital. There wasn't anything major to deal with, just a few Academy students who hadn't learned how to properly aim and throw their kunai yet. She took a shower when she got home, and then set out to make dinner. Sesame chicken and fried rice sounded good right now. As she was setting out the ingredients, she heard a knock at her door. She thought it strange, since she wasn't expecting anyone to come by, especially so late in the evening. When she opened the door she came face to face with the last person she expected to see. _Gaara_. She gave him a confused look. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I need to sleep with you again." He said, his face blank.

She wasn't as shocked this time as she was before, but it was still embarrassing to hear. Before he could say anything else that her neighbors might overhear, she yanked him into her apartment and closed the door. Once that was taken care of she turned to him and crossed her arms. "Why? Did you lose the bear or something?" she raised a delicate brow. She would not give in so easily this time.

"No."

"Then why do you 'need to sleep with me again', as you so delicately put it?" her foot began to tap in impatience.

"It doesn't smell like you anymore. I was going to give it to you to hold onto today, but I was forced into a meeting with your Elders, so there was no time. So, in order for the bear to regain its scent, I decided that the next best thing would be to sleep with you again, while the bear sits in your room."

She looked at him in offense. "The next best thing? That's it, I want you to leave."

He looked confused. "You won't help me?"

"Oh I'll help you all right. To the door." She said, moving to open it. He gave her one of the most pitiful looks she had ever seen. Well, pitiful for Gaara anyways. She bent down and picked up a gift basket of assorted mango bath items that was sitting next to her door. "And give this to Temari. I had a feeling she would run out soon, so I bought her all the things she would need." With that she shoved the basket into his arms, and ushered him out into the hall of her apartment complex. "Bye Gaara! Thanks for stopping by!" She said cheerily, shutting the door in his face before he could say anything else. Then she leaned against the door and let out a sigh of relief. It was hard to just kick him out like that, but she wasn't just a matter of convenience for him, and he needed to learn that.

* * *

He was stunned speechless. Never in his years of knowing her had Sakura been that rude to him. Did he say something wrong? For some reason he had a sense of déjà vu. Maybe comparing her to the teddy bear wasn't a good idea. He left her doorstep in a whirl of sand and appeared in front of Temari's hotel room.

She opened the door just as he was about to knock.

"Oh Gaara I didn't see you there. What are you holding?" his siter asked, looking at the basket in curiosity.

He held out the basket. "This is a gift from Sakura. She told me to give it to you."

She snatched the basket out of his hand. "Yay! The whole Mango Collection! Now I can smell really good!"

He would never understand girls. "But I didn't solve my sleeping problem." He complained.

"Oh just try this!" She grabbed the mango perfume and threw it in his direction. He caught it with ease, and looked at it with confusion.

"Sakura uses that spray too. Just spray it on the bear. Problem solved." She closed the door and began to walk down the hallway. He went into his room and sprayed the bear all over its body. Then he went to sleep, or tried to anyways.

* * *

He was cranky the next day. Yes, the bear did smell more like it used to, but for some reason it just wasn't the same. Instead of going to the Hokage Tower like he should have, he went to the hospital. He knew Sakura would be there, and he needed to talk to her. He entered the hospital and walked straight to the front desk. The receptionist looked surprised to see him there.

"I need to see Haruno Sakura." He said simply.

"Y-yes. I will send a nurse to go get her." The woman stuttered, moving to get up from her chair in order to find one of the nurses.

The redhead made a face of annoyance. It would take too long if he had to wait for some mediocre chakra user to find Sakura. "Nevermind, I will go find her myself." He turned and walked swiftly down the first hallway he saw. Not wanting to waste any more time than was necessary, he stretched out his chakra senses to locate her. It didn't take long. She was upstairs, in her office most likely.

He teleported right into the room, and saw her sitting at her desk. She didn't notice him come in, and appeared to be busy reading some medical book. Her brow was scrunched in a very attractive manner, and she looked like she was deep in thought.

"Sakura." He said, causing her to let out a startled scream and throw whatever book she was reading at him. He caught it with ease.

"Oh God! Gaara you scared the hell out of me. What are you doing here?" she asked, placing a hand over her racing heart.

"It is not my fault that you did not sense me come in. I thought you were better trained than that." He said, smirking.

She crossed her arms defensively. "I am trained to sense threats. I guess I just don't see you as one." She said with a shrug. This bothered him slightly, for reasons he didn't feel like exploring.

"I require your assistance." He told her, getting straight to the point of his presence in her office.

She raised a questioning brow. "With what?"

"Sleeping."

She began to shake her head. "Ohoho no. I already told you yesterday to find something else."

"I tried. But when I sprayed the bear with that mango stuff you wear it didn't work very well." He explained. It looked like she was trying not to laugh at his solution.

"Well I'm not gonna walk around the hospital with a ratty old bear. I guess you'll just have to find another way."

Since he couldn't take advantage of her sympathy, he would try her sense of duty. "If I can't sleep at night I will not be able to perform my duties as the Kazekage properly."

"That's your village's problem, not mine." She said, opening one of her desk drawers and scribbling something on a chart.

"But I am here to help plan something that your village is hosting. You don't want that to end up badly do you?" he asked, raising what could be a brow.

She paused in her task, and hesitated in answering. "Well…no."

"Then let me sleep with you. I only have to stay in the village for a few more days, and you will only see me then." He said, feeling victory within his grasp.

"Fine. But the same rules apply. Nothing inappropriate." She said, glaring at him slightly.

Not that he would do anything wrong in the first place, but after what she did to him last night it was only fair that he mess with her. He leaned across her desk until he was just inches from her face. He heard her breath hitch, and smirked as he looked into her beautiful emeralds. "Spoilsport." And with that, he vanished in a cloud of sand.

Now it was her turn to be stunned speechless. Did Gaara just make a joke? She shook her head. No, it's impossible. Gaara never made jokes, least of all with her. She couldn't believe she had fallen for his trickery again. She knew he was manipulating her, but something in her saw no reason to stop it. Maybe it was because ever since she had come back from Suna all those weeks ago she was always cold at night. The number of blankets she used didn't affect it in the least. Truth be told, she had actually missed sleeping with Gaara, strange as that sounded.

Not wanting him to catch her off guard again, she left work on time, instead of staying late like she always did. When she got home she immediately took a shower. Even though she had just showered the night before, she didn't want Gaara to think she smelled bad. When she got out, she went into the kitchen and began heating up her leftovers from the night before.

Right as the chicken was finished, she felt the presence of someone in her living room. Knowing that only one person would be rude enough to just appear in her home she said, "I hope you're hungry. I have tons of leftover chicken from last night."

"I don't usually eat, but thank you." Gaara's voice said as he entered the kitchen and looked at what she had cooked. They sat down at her small table and ate in a companionable silence. Wanting something to be said, Sakura randomly picked a topic she knew was safe. "How is the planning for the Chuunin exams coming?"

"Pretty good so far. We are building a miniature desert in the Forest of Death around the tower. Then we're adding a strong genjutsu to it, in order to increase the desert-like conditions. That way they can all experience what it is like to travel in different conditions." The redhead across from her said, taking a bite of his chicken.

"Wow, that's really cool. I know it's going to be really helpful to them, but I'm glad we didn't have to do it. I might have died." She said with a smile.

Gaara chuckled slightly. "Probably. Most ninja aren't used to the heat of the desert, or how to handle the sand."

They continued talking like this until dinner was over. Before she could react, Gaara had already collected the dishes, and was on his way into the kitchen. "I can wash them Gaara. It's no problem." Sakura said, rising from her seat.

"No. You cooked for me, so it is only fair that I wash afterwards." He said, walking into the kitchen.

"If you insist." She had never really enjoyed washing the dishes anyway. The only reason she did them was because if she didn't, they would pile up in her sink, and it would just be more work for her when she got around to doing them.

When he finished he stood in the entrance to the kitchen, looking at her expectantly. Figuring that he was ready to go to sleep, she stood from her seat at the table and stretched. She could use some sleep too, for that matter. Without saying a word, she went into her room and got underneath the covers. Then she scooted over towards the wall in order to make room for him. He got in shortly after, and like last time, pulled her to his chest. Her entire body froze as she realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. How was he able to take his shirt off without her knowing it?

Gaara held in an annoyed grunt. He can't sleep with a stiff person in his arms. That's not how it works. "Sakura would you please relax? It's just like last time." He said, closing his eyes.

"I know, but do you have to sleep without a shirt on?" she asked timidly.

She could feel him smirk against the back of her head. "Why? Does it bother you?"

"Well…kind of." She admitted.

"Good. Now go to sleep." She let out a huff, wriggled a bit, and then slowly began to relax. Gaara continued to smirk to himself. He didn't know why, but the fact that his bare chest could affect her in such a way pleased him. Maybe it was some animalistic thing that was left over from Shukaku. He would be sure to take advantage of this new knowledge in the future. Shortly after this exchange, he fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning he woke up before Sakura did. He had slept better last night than he had in ages. Her back was to him, and her hair was fanned out across the pillow behind her. He scooted a bit closer and nuzzled her neck. Then he took a deep breath, and inhaled the scent that was purely Sakura.

"Gaara? What are you doing?" she asked.

He froze. He had thought that she was asleep, but he guessed that she had just been laying there. Damn. There really wasn't anything to say to explain his actions. He had done it simply because something had urged him to. So he decided to ignore her question.

She didn't know why he had done it, but for reasons unknown to her, she had liked it. When he had nuzzled her she felt cherished. Figuring she wouldn't get an answer out of him, she turned to face him and decided to ask a different question. "Do you want anything for breakfast?"

It took him a while to answer, but eventually he replied with a, "Sure."

She sat up and looked down at his face. "Are pancakes ok with you?"

"Yes." He said.

"Alright." She crawled over him and went into the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later, there was a huge stack of pancakes, some eggs, and bacon sitting on the kitchen counter. Gaara walked in, freshly showered, and still shirtless. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks and groaned inwardly. Why? Why did he have to be shirtless and wet? Trying to ignore him, she put together two plates and set one down on his end of the table.

" Sakura, this is enough to feed a small army." He said, somewhat in awe.

"Well breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I didn't know how much you usually eat." She said, sitting down.

"I don't usually eat. I told you so last night." He repeated.

"Well when you're with me you do." She told him, pouring syrup over her pancakes. They ate in silence. When they were done she noticed that Gaara had eaten everything on his plate, but chose not to say anything about it. He did the dishes again, just as he had the night before.

She went into her room and got ready for her shift at the hospital. When she came out Gaara was already dressed in his red battle outfit.

"Why don't you ever wear your robes when you're here?" she asked curiously.

"Why doesn't your Hokage ever wear her robes when she visits?" he responded, raising what could be called a brow at her. "They are extremely stifling and uncomfortable. If an attack occurs, it can be difficult to fight in them." He explained.

"Oh." She felt kind of stupid for asking now, but since Gaara didn't say anything about it, she figured he thought nothing of it, and so decided not to either.

They left her apartment then and walked down the street in silence. He had decided to walk her to the hospital, since it was on his way to Hokage Tower. She had protested of course, but he was nothing if not a gentleman. He wanted everyone to see him with Sakura, and know that they were friends. That way she would have another layer of protection when he wasn't around. Not that she needed it, but he liked to be sure.

They had a routine going by the next two days. He would arrive at her apartment after work, where she would already have dinner ready. When it was over he would do the dishes and then they would go to sleep. He didn't nuzzle her again, much to both their dislike, after getting caught the first time. Then in the morning she would make breakfast while he showered. They would eat, after which he would do the dishes, and then he would walk her to work. It was very comfortable for him. But Temari pointed out something very important on their last day in Konoha. "What are you going to do when we are back in Suna?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, slightly confused. What could she be talking about?

"I mean, how are you going to sleep without Sakura?" his sister asked.

"I will have the teddy bear. It has been staying in her room the whole time we've been here, so everything should be fine for another few weeks or so. By then it will be time for the Chuunin Exams, and I can stay with her when that is happening." He explained.

"Only you could come up with something so ridiculously stupid Gaara." The blonde said with a roll of her eyes before walking away.

He became even more confused. What did she mean by that? It was a full proof plan, one he had thought long and hard about the night before. He got back to Sakura's apartment just as she was leaving.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I was going to say goodbye to you and your sister before you left." She answered, looking up at him.

"Oh. There is no need. I was looking for you anyways." He said, becoming slightly nervous.

"What for?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

He held out his hand, which contained a small, wrapped bundle. "I saw this the other day and thought you might like it. Think of it as a thank you present." She cautiously reached out and took it from him. Then, piece by piece, she slowly unwrapped his gift. Inside was a small hourglass, filled with white sand. "It's a special form of sand that can only be made in the hottest parts of the earth. It is so white in color that in fact, if you hold it up to the light, small rainbows will fly off the sand and onto the walls." The redhead explained as she looked at it in wonder.

"Thank you." She said, wrapping her arms around his waist in an embrace. Surprisingly enough, he didn't mind as much this time as he normally would have. He even went as far as to gently wrap his arms around her shoulders, attempting to return her hug. Growing slightly embarrassed with the contact, he said, "I must leave now."

"Oh. Right." She said, letting go of him and blushing slightly. She couldn't believe he had hugged her back, and when he had, she'd felt so content that she wanted to stay there forever. "I'll come with you so that I can say goodbye to Temari."

They walked in silence, as they usually did, and when they arrived everyone else in the village was there to see them off. The sand siblings left quickly, because Gaara hated having all that attention on himself, and arrived in Suna two and a half days later.

That night, when it was time for him to go to sleep, he pulled out the newly Sakura-smelling teddy bear and got in bed. But for some reason he just couldn't fall asleep. The bear smelled exactly like Sakura, so what was the problem? He yanked it closer and buried his face in the bear's fur. Suddenly, he pulled away from the bear as if he had been struck by lightning. That was the problem. The bear didn't feel the same way in his arms that Sakura did. It wasn't the bear that helped him sleep, it was Sakura. Her feel, her smell, even her presence. That's what made him feel peaceful enough to sleep. He got out of bed and left a note on his dresser, informing Temari and Kankuro where he was going. This epiphany was so great, that he had to share it with the pink haired medic as soon as possible. He left his room in a whirl of sand, hoping that he could teleport as far as Konoha in one go.

* * *

Her entire day was horrible after Gaara and Temari left. She'd gone home to make herself dinner, and around the time that Gaara usually showed up, she had turned towards her living room expectantly, only to realize that he wouldn't be back for another few weeks. Then she realized that for the first time in three days, she would have to do the dishes, and cursed inwardly. After she finished that, she showered and got ready for bed. But when it was time for her to sleep, she couldn't. She was freezing cold, and her bed felt entirely too big. There wasn't a solid, warm surface for her to lie against.

Hitting a stroke of genius, she went into the living room and lay down on the couch. It wasn't the same, but it was close enough. A few minutes later, she fell off, having moved just a bit too far. So, in a huff, she snatched her blankets off the couch and went back into her room. She sat on the edge of her bed, and stared at the hourglass Gaara had given her.

Truly, she had never received a more beautiful or thoughtful gift from anyone, not even her parents. It even reminded her of him, in every aspect. But thinking of him made her sad, because, truth be told, she missed him. She missed his warmth, his solidity, and his shirtlessness. Somehow, she had confused helping out a friend for something more. The fact that he wouldn't be there in the morning only made her sadder, so she gave up on thinking and once again, tried to go to sleep.

* * *

It had been two days since Gaara had left and already she looked like a zombie. She couldn't sleep at all. People at work were even starting to notice her haggard appearance. Going home that night, she decided to try the one thing that could work now. A sleeping pill. She'd never used one before, but heard that they worked really well. She could not allow her sleepless nights to affect her work at the hospital. It was too important.

When she got home she did the usual. Showered, made dinner, ate it, and did the dishes. As she made her way towards her room she felt a familiar presence. She ran into her bedroom and turned on the lights, freezing in shock at what she saw. Standing next to her window was none other than Gaara.

"Gaara? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you have just now been arriving in Suna?" she asked, confused and yet happy at the same time.

"Everyone is in Suna. I arrived with them but came back when I realized something." He said, turning towards her.

She gave him a puzzled look. "What did you realize?" she asked.

He walked forward until he was in front of her, staring at her intensely the whole time. "I need you."

Now she was not only confused, but surprised. "What?"

"When I got back to Suna, I realized that it wasn't the bear that helped me sleep, or your scent. It was you. For some reason you bring me peace. And then I realized that I missed you. I missed holding you at night, waking up to you every morning, watching you blush every time I entered the room, your cooking, the way you think and act, everything."

Her mouth quirked up at the edges when she heard that. "So what do you plan on doing about it?"

"I have it all figured out. Tomorrow we can go to the Hokage and ask her to transfer you to Suna to work on our medical program when the Chuunin Exams are done. We can ask her as a favor to Suna. While you are there you will stay with me, and we can see how things go from there." He explained.

"Why?" she asked, raising a brow. She would not uproot herself for just no reason, despite the fact that the thought of staying with him excited her.

"Because I want all of you, not just what I've seen late at night or in the mornings. I want to see you whenever I feel like it, and not have to travel such a great distance to do so. And in return you can have all of me, though you may not like some of it." He said, beginning to grow unsure of himself at her lack of a real answer. Perhaps he had been too forward, and was instead scaring her away.

Sakura just couldn't believe her ears. Gaara was asking her to be his girlfriend. Well, sort of anyways. He must be dead serious, because this was the most she had ever heard him speak, and that knowledge made her smile. She looked up into his anxious gaze and said, "I missed you too." He looked startled by her admission. "I missed your warmth, your solidity, your dishwashing, the strange way you think, and your companionship. I missed you walking me to work every morning and eating dinner with me every night. It wasn't until you left that I realized I was lonely. And I will take all of you. Because when you care that much about a person, you have to take everything, even if you don't like some of it. And the same goes for you. I can be quite stubborn sometimes, and can be very difficult to handle." She said, smiling up at him.

He smirked and leaned down to her face. "Then I will just have to learn to handle you the right way." Then he pulled her to him, their lips meeting in a kiss. She would have melted right then and there if it weren't for his arms holding her. Gaara's lips were the softest things she had ever felt before. And he wasn't trying to dominate the kiss. It was almost a light peck, as if he was afraid she didn't mean what she had said. How wrong he was. Before he could pull away, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and responded to his kiss with enthusiasm. Eventually she pulled away, breathless, and said, "Can we go to bed now? I haven't gotten a wink of sleep since you left."

He smiled then. A genuine, heart-stopping smile. "That's my line." And with that they went into her room and got more sleep than either had had in what felt like years.

* * *

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and smiled smugly to herself. She knew what had been going on between her student and the Fifth Kazekage for a while now. When they had entered her office that morning, she knew she was doomed. Refusing their request not only meant a possible war with Suna, but insubordination from Sakura. Both could be very stubborn and pigheaded, and she wouldn't stand a chance going head-to-head with the both of them. And anyways, it was a good idea to have Sakura go help the medical program in Suna. Should her relationship with Gaara blossom into anything serious, she could always become the hospital's head. And if it ended in tragedy, at least she would always know where the man she needed to kill was. Either way Tsunade looked at it, it was a win-win situation.

**The End**


End file.
